Am i Getting Better or Worse?
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Am i Getting Better or Worse?
I have been GF for 5 weeks. Based on my Enterolab results I went egg free and soy free about 10 days ago. I think eggs may have been causing me problems. I have not eliminated dairy because casein was an 8. But all I've had is some cheese here and there. I don't drink cows milk and haven't for years. My symptoms have improved with usually only 2 toilet visits in the morning and no wd. Also a lot less bowel gurgling. But GERD and gas have hit me with a vengeance. No burning just lots of epigastric pressure and burping. Seems worse with an empty stomach. It's always something! I guess the no diarrhea is welcome but sometimes I feel like I'd take on a little if it has to be a swap for GERD. Am I improving or just rearranging symptoms here? Seems like I've read on this forum that some people have lingering GERD as their symptoms improve overall. Words of experience and wisdom are appreciated.
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I am eating very little fiber. Mostly just cooked vegetables but I sometimes eat baby arugula because it doesn't seem to bother me. I've been eating no fruit except a half banana now and then. I am thin, 105 lbs, and can't afford to lose weight or I'll have more problems. So I do eat rice and/ or potatoes almost every day. Other than meat or poultry that is the only thing I'm eating everyday. I eat peanut butter a few times a week. Was using cashew butter but Enterolab showed me reacting. And I'm using a rice based gf ef bread. Not everyday though because quite frankly it tastes pretty horrible. I don't drink fruit juice. I avoid sugar as an additive to anything. I do have one cup of black coffee in the morning which is something I have done for the last 35 years.
LC diagnosed July 2014
Hi Gigi,
You are getting better (as your improved symptoms clearly show), but we don't recover from this disease in 5 weeks. It takes months to see major healing, and complete healing takes at least a year or 2. You will continue to make progress during that time, but don't be discouraged if you see occasional plateaus or even setbacks, because few of us recover without occasional setbacks.
The GERD is puzzling. Are you really having GERD symptoms (reflux), or just gas and a lot of burping. Burping is a normal digestive response to certain foods, and believe it or not, it's a sign that you are healing. When my reactions were severe, I would have given just about anything to be able to burp, but I couldn't, and as a result the gas buildup virtually always led to nausea and sometimes vomiting.
If you are having reflux, here is what I would try:
GERD is associated with a vitamin D deficiency. More than a few members here have found that by taking a "respectable" dose of vitamin D each day (5,000–10,000 IU), their GERD improved dramatically. Usually, the response will be relatively prompt, so that the higher dosage of vitamin D will only need to be used for a few weeks or so.
But while vitamin D will help to resolve GERD, it will not prevent gas. Something in your diet is almost surely causing the excessive gas. Are you keeping a food/reaction diary? Often, by looking for associations in our notes, we can track down which food or foods in our diet is/are causing which symptoms, and resolve the problem by avoiding the food/s.
I wonder if some of the problem might be due to not eating or drinking enough. I find that when my stomach is empty too long, I develop sort of a queasy, almost-nauseous feeling. If I am able to belch, it resolves the issue. Or just eating something typically will resolve it, also. Maybe you're unintentionally starving yourself, because after a while we get used to associating eating with D.
Tex
You are getting better (as your improved symptoms clearly show), but we don't recover from this disease in 5 weeks. It takes months to see major healing, and complete healing takes at least a year or 2. You will continue to make progress during that time, but don't be discouraged if you see occasional plateaus or even setbacks, because few of us recover without occasional setbacks.
The GERD is puzzling. Are you really having GERD symptoms (reflux), or just gas and a lot of burping. Burping is a normal digestive response to certain foods, and believe it or not, it's a sign that you are healing. When my reactions were severe, I would have given just about anything to be able to burp, but I couldn't, and as a result the gas buildup virtually always led to nausea and sometimes vomiting.
If you are having reflux, here is what I would try:
GERD is associated with a vitamin D deficiency. More than a few members here have found that by taking a "respectable" dose of vitamin D each day (5,000–10,000 IU), their GERD improved dramatically. Usually, the response will be relatively prompt, so that the higher dosage of vitamin D will only need to be used for a few weeks or so.
But while vitamin D will help to resolve GERD, it will not prevent gas. Something in your diet is almost surely causing the excessive gas. Are you keeping a food/reaction diary? Often, by looking for associations in our notes, we can track down which food or foods in our diet is/are causing which symptoms, and resolve the problem by avoiding the food/s.
I wonder if some of the problem might be due to not eating or drinking enough. I find that when my stomach is empty too long, I develop sort of a queasy, almost-nauseous feeling. If I am able to belch, it resolves the issue. Or just eating something typically will resolve it, also. Maybe you're unintentionally starving yourself, because after a while we get used to associating eating with D.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Arugula is a cruciferous veggie. That would be a problem for me with gas issues.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruciferous_vegetables
Do you take any digestive enzymes?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruciferous_vegetables
Do you take any digestive enzymes?
Linda :)
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
I agree that the peanut butter could be a problem. Avoiding all soy-related foods are important for me. Nut butters, in general, are sometimes too much for me. I also react to the "gums" in GF bread and other products and do better without them. You are healing; just remember it takes a long time. Kathy